Crime and Punishment - A Concise Moral Critique (Hardcover, New)

It is generally assumed that we are justified in punishing criminals because they have committed a morally wrongful act. Determining when criminal liability should be imposed calls for a moral assessment of the conduct in question, with criminal liability tracking as closely as possible the contours of morality. Versions of this view are frequently argued for in philosophical accounts of crime and punishment, and seem to be presumed by lawyers and policy makers working in the criminal justice system. Challenging such assumptions, this book considers the dominant justifications of punishment and subjects them to a piercing moral critique. It argues that none overcome the objection that people who are convicted of a serious crime and sent to prison have their basic human rights violated. The institution of criminal punishment is shown to be a regrettable necessity not deserving of the moral enthusiasm it enjoys among many politicians and the popular press. From a moral point of view, punishment is entitled at best to grudging toleration. In the course of developing the argument, the book introduces the principal issues of criminal law theory with the aim of presenting a morally enlightened perspective on crimes and why we punish them. Enforcement of the law by police, prosecutors, and courts is a matter of concern for political morality, and the principal practices of the criminal justice system are subjected to moral scrutiny. The book offers an engaging, provocative introduction to thinking about the philosophy of crime and punishment, challenging students and other readers to think about whether we are justified in punishing wrongdoers.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	2012
First published:	March 2012
Authors:	Hyman Gross
Dimensions:	221 x 148 x 21mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	238
Edition:	New
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-964471-1
Categories:	Books > Law > Jurisprudence & general issues > Jurisprudence & philosophy of law Books > Law > Laws of other jurisdictions & general law > Criminal law Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Crime & criminology > General Books > Law > Laws of other jurisdictions & general law > Courts & procedure > General
LSN:	0-19-964471-3
Barcode:	9780199644711

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